Flange wrench



R. B. FOSTER.

FLANGE WRENCH. APPLICATION FILED FEB- 23. I922.

1,425,845. Pat nted Aug. 15, 1922.

' ATTORNEY.

narren srares ra ser easiest;

ROBERT B. FOSTER, F wELL vlLLfi Ol-lilo.

I FLANGE wnnncri;

To all whommay concern:

. Be it known that 1, ROBERT E. FOSTER, a.

citizen'of the United States, residing at WVellsville, in the county of Columb'iana Wrenches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,'and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhicl it appertains tofmake and use the same.

This invention relates to flange wrenches,

andfmore particularly tov a flange wrench adaptedfor use in screwing flanges on steam and. ammonia pipes.

The main object of the invention is to provide a simple, eflicient and inexpensive device of the character referred to, that may be easily and quickly adjustedto adapt it to be applied to either a small flange or a large flange, or to fit flanges of different kinds and sizes, either'round, square, oval, or a three-cornered flange, the device being especially designed and adapted for screw ing flanges of different sizes on steam and other pipes, such as are used, for example, in ice making machines, requiring steamtight fittings. A further object of the invention is to provide a device for the pur pose stated that can be easily and quickly adjusted and used by a single workman, thus economizing in both time and labor, instead of requiring two workmen, as is necessary in using flange wrenches as heretofore ordinarily constructed, with drift pins and pull-bars or levers which require one man to work the drift pins and another to work the lever, in order to operate the device with any speed. I

The invention will first be hereinafter more particularly described, with. reference to the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as a part of this specification,

and then pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In said drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a flange wrench embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, illustrating its application to the front face or side of a steam pipeflange; and c Fig. 3 is a side elevation, illustrating its application to the back or rear face of an Specification of Letters I-atent. :PafiiiQntqgd jg u'g 15, 1922. 7 Application filed. February 23, 1922. Serial net 538,607. '1

corresponding parts in different views, the

letter ri denotes a rigid preferably iron bar' or flbOlltQlglltGfln inches inlength, havli'ig pivoted thereto, about twelve inches from one end, a swinging arm B, carrying a pin or pins 6 at its 'free end', for engagement" with a hole in pipe flange, while the bar A carries a similar pin or pins at the end thereof nearest the free end of said arm, for engagementwith a hole on the opposite side of saidflange, thus forming a lever of the second order for turning the flange; the swinging arm being considered as theweight, and .the pin on the shorter arm ,or shank portion of the lever as its fulcrum, andthe longer arm thereof forming a handle. The

swinging arm is curved upon. the arc of a circle, or crescent-shaped in form,- and is. preferably bifurcated at one end, so as to straddle the bar A, to which it is secured by i a pivotpinorrivet 0 and it has secured to ltS. free end or fornriedv integrally therewith studsv or pins 0, which project in opposite directions from opposite-sides thereof. The short arm or shank a of saidbar or lever A is also formed; or provided with studs or pins a at or near the free end thereof, which project in opposite directions from opposite sides thereof, as shown, thus adapting the device to be applied to a flange on either side, or in reversed position. But it maybe desirable in some cases to have asingle pin projecting from one side only. The pins of both the lever and swinging arm are formed preferably of ahigh grade steel. and driven through holes in the end of the lever and arm so as to insure a'tight fit, while the lever and. swinging arm are preferably constr ucted of malleableiron. Butother materialand other securing means for the pins may be used.

In operation, the lever and swinging arm are adjusted to adapt a pin on one to engage a hole in the flange C," for example, of a steam-pipe, while a pin on the other engages a hole on the opposite side of the flange, and

by manipulating the lever the flange is turned part-way around, proportionate to the throw of the lever, whereupon the pins 105 are withdrawn and engaged with another set of holes, and the lever again operated, and so on until the flange isfirmly screwed on or into the desired position.

ammonia pipe flange.

Referring to said drawings, in which the same reference characters re u ed to eno e ing arm from one set of holes to another, and to suit flanges of different sizes, either large or small, and varying in size from one to twelve inches, using the same wrench, thus effecting a saving of both time and labor incident to using flange wrenches of the kind heretofore ordinarily employed, which require two men to operate them, in order to make any speed-0ne man ;to manipulate the drift pins and another man to manipulate the pull-bar or lever. This wrench is also. equally well adapted to be applied to either side or face of a flange, being operable from either side of the pipe on which the flangeis to be screwed. Its ap plication to the front face of a steam pipe flange is shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and as the front faces of ammonia pipe flanges are uneven, its application to the back or rear face of an ammonia pipe flange is shown in Fig. 8.

The wrench may be made of any desired size to suit flanges of diflferent kinds and sizes, the same wrench being adaptedto be used on flanges of different sizes, varying for example from a twelve inch flange to a one inch flange, and also adapted to it differcnt kinds of flanges, either round, square,

oval, or a three-cornered flange, without requiring any adjustment other than to vary the space between the free end of the short arm or shank of the lever and the free end of the crescent-shaped arm, by either bringing them closer together or movinr them further apart, according to the size of the flange to be screwed on and the distance be tween holes with which the pins on the lever and swinging arm are to engage. For a twelve inch flange, for example, the length of the hand lever should be about eighteen inches, and the length of the swinging arm about six inches, allowing a twelve inch swing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure'by Letters-Patent of the United States is;

1. A. flange wrench comprising a rigid bar having a swinging arm of crescentshaped form pivoted thereto near one end so to provide at one side of said pivotal connection a handle forming the long arm of a lever and at the other side a straight short arm, said short arm and said swingingarm each provided at its free end wlth' laterally projecting pins, and said swinging armhaving its concave surface facing said straight short arm.

2. A flange wrench comprising a rigid.

ROBERT B. FOSTER. I

Witnesses FRED H. EoKrELD, Lnsrnn H. RosENBERGER. 

